


Searching for answers

by ninedragons



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, The Mandalorian (TV)
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-08-05
Updated: 2020-08-20
Packaged: 2021-03-06 06:55:03
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 9,156
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25729279
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ninedragons/pseuds/ninedragons
Summary: Just a few ideas what may happen after season one. May include characters from other works in the Star Wars universe.
Comments: 1
Kudos: 16





	1. Chapter 1

The house he had been watching for an hour now, was a simple prefab building of stone and plaststeel, like most others in this quiet residential district of Capital City. No use in waiting any longer; if he was going to do this, it was now. He pulled the hood of his cloak deeper over his helmet and knocked.

The eyestalk of a TT-8L security droid shot out of a hatch in the door, the big orange eye scanning him silently.  
“I’m here to see the Librarian.” he said. 

The eyestalk withdrew and a moment later the door slid aside. He threw a quick glance over his shoulder and stepped across the threshold into a small anteroom. As the door closed behind him, he noticed, it was surprisingly heavy reinforced steel, just like the door opposite. He was neatly trapped and did not need to consult the sensors of his wrist computer to know he was being scanned. A standard procedure surely. He shifted uncomfortably. 

The door in front of him opened and revealed a somewhat battered silver protocol droid. “Welcome, Sir. I’m TC-22, at your service.” it said in a precise, clipped voice. “The Librarian is expecting you. Please follow me.”  
“What about my weapons?” he replied. Better to get that over with.  
“Oh, you can keep them.” the droid replied. “We are not so rude as to part a Mandalorian from his weapons you know? They’re part of your religion after all. This way please.”  
Well, so much for his ‘disguise’. At least he didn’t have to face the Librarian feeling half naked without his weapons.  
But it also meant, that this person was either very trusting or - more likely - very dangerous.

They entered a bland, nondescript room, a desk in the corner, two grey couches with a large, narrow hologame table between them, another door. It was very much what he had expected, a place to do business. The Mandalorian dropped his now useless cloak on one of the couches and was about to sit down where he could keep an eye on the doors, when he stepped back surprised, as the top of the table started to slide aside to reveal a narrow staircase. 

“Down here please, Sir. I’m afraid I can allow only very little light in the tunnel, so you will have to follow my lead.  
They climbed down in what must have been sewer tunnels at some point. It was pitch black down here, but it seemed dry and the air wasn’t too bad.  
“Please stay close to me Sir, these tunnels are like a maze. You would not be the first person to get lost down here.” The voice of the droid had a steely edge to it, as if losing him in the tunnels would be a terrible nuisance. The Mandalorian made sure to follow the little sphere of light closely.

He didn’t know for how long or how far they went, but at some point it felt like they had crossed the entire city. At first he had tried to memorise the way, but after the fifth or sixth turn, he had to admit that without the droid he would indeed be lost. Which was the intention of course. Once or twice he could see in the dim light what seemed like blast doors, that could close off parts of the tunnel. Someone had gone to great lengths to make sure their location would be safe. 

Finally they arrived at another staircase. “Up this way please, Sir. The Librarian is awaiting you.”  
At the top of the stairs, another small anteroom, with a door that slid back as they approached.  
He knew very little about the Librarian, aside from the fact that they dealt in information. No one could tell him what they looked like or even what species they were. He wasn’t quite sure what he had expected - but probably not the room, nor the person he saw now in front of him.

The Librarian was a small human woman, well into her forties, with short cropped hair and an open, friendly smile. She was wearing loose fitting tunics and looked more like someone’s mother than an information broker. 

“Welcome! I’m Ada Tallon, but most people call me the Librarian. You’re Din Djarin, right? I’ve heard so much about you! Please, sit!”  
She pointed to a couch covered with a colourful blanket. Everything in this large, airy room seemed to be colourful, from the couch, the rugs on the floor, the pile of cushions in the corner to the glass ornaments hanging on strings above the table, which made a soft sound when they touched.

And the walls were covered in shelves full of.. stuff. He recognised a few things, a Krayt dragon tooth, a lot of holobooks, crystals, pieces of pottery. A transparent case held what seemed to be a mummified hand with rings on its fingers. 

It felt like he had stumbled into some kind of museum. A comfortable, cozy museum. In his line of work he had walked into similar situations a hundred times, but he had never encountered anything like this place. Was it a trap to make him let his guard down? If no one had ever seen the Librarian’s face, why did she greet him in person? It did not feel dangerous, but experience told him, that it should.

The Librarian seemed to sense his confusion. “Please excuse the mess; these are my private quarters, I don’t usually receive clients here - but then, you are not my usual sort of client, are you?”

She did sound sincere and appeared to be unarmed. In any case, it was too late to turn back now, he decided. So he sat down on the sofa and carefully placed his shoulder bag on the seat next to him. “What makes you think that?” he asked bluntly.  
“I deal in information”, she smiled. “And you have caused quite a commotion in the past few months. First being chased by the entire bounty hunters guild and now you’ve got the attention of a former Imperial Moff? I would like to hear your side of the story. But please, tell me what brought you to me.”

“I need information,” he admitted. “I must find someone… people.”  
It was in this moment, that his bag gave a little wriggle and an audible yawn.Din Djarin sighed and slowly opened the flap of the bag.  
The Child blinked and looked curiously up into the face of the unknown lady.

Ada Tallon stepped back in surprise, covering her mouth with her hand, but not before a surprised gasp escaped her. It took her a few seconds to regain her composure. “Well - this is unexpected. I knew it was all about a child, but I didn’t realise you had it with you.”  
Either she was easily startled or she was lying.

“I need to find his planet, return him to his people.” Din Djarin said, a slight tone of suspicion in his voice. “I was hoping you knew something about them. A friend told me, they’re some kind of sorcerers called Jedi.”

“Is that what they say?” She sounded amused. “I guess that friend of yours is Mandalorian too? You know what, you tell me the entire story and then I see what I can do to help you. The one thing I can tell you right away is, this little guy is no Jedi. Not yet anyway.”

Meanwhile, the Child had crawled out of the bag and was now straining to reach the fruit basket in the middle of the table. Ada took one of the fruits and offered it to him. “Would you like a jogan fruit?”  
The Child eyed the round, purple fruit for a moment, then took it in his little hands and took a cautious bite. The next moment his eyes went even bigger and he began munching greedily.  
“I take that as a yes.” Ada smiled. “So, where were we?”

Reluctantly, Din Djarin began to tell the story. How he accepted this strange commission from some former Imperials, how he found the Child in a compound on Arvala-7, guarded by Nikto mercenaries. How he came back to the Razor Crest, only to find her stripped by Jawas. And then the story with the mudhorn…

Ada looked at the Child, who had finished his jogan fruit and was now happily toddling across the floor. Instead of the disbelief he expected, her face showed an expression of professional curiosity. “A full grown mudhorn you say? And he passed out for how long afterwards?”

“Almost a day”, Din Djarin replied. “But he just slept it off. The other times he was just a little exhausted.”

“I can see he’s getting better at it.” Ada was out of her seat and across the floor in seconds. The Child had his little hand stretched out and eyes closed in concentration, while some kind of metal tube floated down from one of the shelves towards him. Ada snatched the thing out of the air and stuffed it into one of her large pockets. “Good choice my little friend, but this is not for you. Wait, I can find something else for you to play with.” She went to rummage around somewhere in the back of the room, then came back with a blue crystal cube, ornately wrought in metal. The Child took it from her, fascinated.

“That should keep him busy for a bit.” she said. “Please, do continue!”

So he kept telling the rest of the story. How he took the Child to the client, but then went and got it back. How they found refuge on the planet Sorgan and met the former shocktrooper Cara Dune. How they had continued to flee across the galaxy, chased by the guild, until they finally returned to Nevarro and how the situation escalated there, when Moff Gideon turned up.  
He was in the middle of telling how they escaped on the lava river, when a male voice interrupted him.

_“This is Master Obi-Wan Kenobi. I regret to report that both our Jedi Order and the Republic have fallen, with the dark shadow of the Empire rising to take their place… ”_

Din Djarin was up and had his blaster drawn in an instant. Then he realised, the voice was coming from a holo projection emitting from that cube, that the Child had somehow opened. The Child was cautiously trying to touch the small, holographic image of a bearded man in robes, who continued to speak in an urgent voice.

_“...This message is a warning and a reminder for any surviving Jedi: trust in the Force. Do not return to the Temple. That time has passed, and our future is uncertain. Avoid Coruscant. Avoid detection. Be secret... but be strong. We will each be challenged: our trust, our faith, our friendships. But we must persevere and, in time, I believe a new hope will emerge. May the Force be with you always.”_

The projection ended. Din Djarin put his blaster away and sat down. “What in the blazes was that? ”  
“That, my friend, was a test. And I’m happy your child has passed it. I think it is time to answer your questions - as well as I can.”  
“He mentioned Jedi. And what is the Force?”

Ada didn’t answer immediately. Instead she went over to the Child, squatting down to look at him. The Child looked back at her with a curious expression on his face. Some silent exchange seemed to take place, because suddenly he held his little arms out, demanding to get picked up by her. She returned to the table and sat the Child in her lap. 

“The mysterious power your child uses, is called the Force.” she said looking solemnly at Din Djarin. “It is an energy field, that binds the entire galaxy together. All living beings have it, it is all around us and permeates us, but only a few can feel it, communicate with it and use it. These are called Force sensitives and your child is one. A very powerful one at that.” 

She filled her cup with tea that TC-22 had put on the table, offered some to Din Djarin, but he shook his head.

“The Jedi you have heard of, are… were not a race, but an Order, made up from Force sensitives from all over the galaxy. For thousands of years, the Jedi Order were the guardians of peace and prosperity in the Old Republic. Then, twenty-eight years ago, when the Old Republic fell and the Empire took over, they were all but wiped out.”

“You’re one of them.” he stated flatly.

“I am. I was.” She pointed around the room. “I’m not really a librarian, but I used to be a scholar. I was poking around some dusty old ruins on an otherwise insignificant Outer Rim planet all by myself when the Order fell. That saved my life. Few of us survived and those who did hid in the most inhospitable of places throughout the galaxy. The Empire kept hunting us all these years.

As I said, I’m a scholar, not a warrior, but I wasn’t going to just hide away. For years I worked with the Rebel Alliance and started providing intel for them. It’s what I’m good at. When the Empire was driven from Lothal, I settled down here. They never came back. But I’m still in business. People always need information. But yes, before the fall of the Order, I was a Jedi.”

“I was also told, the Jedi were ancient enemies of the Mandalorians.” His voice was tense.

Ada sighed. “Yes and no. It’s complicated. I don’t want to turn this into a history lesson about your people, but about four thousand years ago, the Mandalorians allied with the Sith to attack the Republic. A few Jedi retaliated; the ensuing conflict devastated Mandalore and almost wiped out the Jedi Order. As you can imagine, the relationship has always been a little.. patchy, ever since. In fact, many of the weapons within your armour have been developed initially to combat Jedi.”  
Now she did indeed sound like a scholar. 

“But, during the course of history, there were also times when Jedi and Mandalorians were allies. Some Mandalorians even became Jedi. The most famous one was Tarre Viszla, who was the first Mandalorian to join the Order over a thousand years ago. He created the Darksaber, a weapon that was then handed down in House Viszla through the generations. After Clan Viszla had stolen it from the Jedi Temple in Coruscant of course. I told you, it’s complicated.”

“What is the Darksaber? Is it a weapon? And what are these Sith you keep talking about?” She said she didn’t want to turn this into a history lesson, yet that was precisely what she had done. His head was swimming.

“The Darksaber was a very unique variation of a Lightsaber and it became the symbol of the ruler of Mandalore.”  
She must have realised that her explanation did not suffice, because she pulled that metal tube out of her pocket and showed it to him. “This is a lightsaber. It’s the weapon of a Jedi. Or a Sith, for that matter. They are our opposite. The dark side of the Force to our light side and our mortal enemies.”

He studied the object in her hand and saw, it seemed to be a grip of some sort. “How does it work?”

As a reply, she activated the weapon. A beam of blue light about three feet long appeared at the end of it. It was humming when she moved it around a bit. A laser sword then. He had never seen anything like it.  
The Child shrieked enthusiastically and stretched out his hands towards the lightsaber. Ada switched the weapon off and put it back into her pocket. “You are much too fascinated by this thing already, my little friend. By my calculation you have to wait at least another fifty years before you can have one.”  
Obviously disappointed, the Child slid off her lap to the floor and toddled off.

She turned to Din Djarin. “That’s why I had to see if he can open the cube earlier. It’s a Jedi holocron and only those whose power lies within the light side of the Force can use it.  
I am sorry for the deception, but this tiny creature can lift an adult mudhorn with the Force. Without having any training.  
Now imagine he used his full power in anger, in fear or even hate. They are the dark side of the Force and once you go down that path, it’s almost impossible to turn back. As you told me, he choked your friend once. This is why I had to make sure… “ her voice trailed off. 

“You wanted to make sure he’s not some evil creature you need to kill.” he finished her sentence angrily. “He’s just a baby!” He had not even realised his hand went to his blaster.

“He is just a baby.” Ada agreed. “But he has seen too much violence already. And he will need training to control his powers. I don’t know if returning him to his planet will suffice to protect him from Moff Gideon. Even if I knew where his planet is or what his species is called.” 

She did not look at him when she continued. Her hands cradled her mug of tea and her voice was carefully neutral.  
“I am sorry, but I must admit, I only ever met one other of his species; that’s why I was so shocked when I saw him. They live very long lives and when I came to the Jedi Temple as a youngling, Master Yoda had already been there for hundreds of years. I was just a child, then a Padawan learner and he was a member of the Jedi Council and one of the most powerful Jedi Masters who had ever been. So, you see, I never really got around to a personal conversation, before the Separatist War broke out… “

“This Master Yoda - he is like him?” Din Djarin looked for the Child and realised, he had fallen asleep on a pile of cushions in the corner. “So why can’t we just ask him?”

“He died five years ago.” Ada hesitated for a moment, as if she wanted to say more, but seemed to decide against it.

“But I think I can find out more for you. And I can contact a friend. Your child will need supervision from a Force user who is not a rambling, old bookworm like me. You will also need places to hide.” She got up and went searching through her shelves again, then placed two objects on the table.

“On this datacard are the coordinates of some old Rebel hideouts. Most of them the Empire has never found, so it should be safe to hide there for a while. I would avoid Yavin-4 though. Not just because most of the fauna and some of the flora would want to eat this little guy, but also because it has some places that are strong in the dark side and it’s not a good place for a Force sensitive child.”

“And this communicator here is tuned to my frequency, so you will always be able to reach me. I might have to close shop for a while and go searching for answers to your questions. I will also need the coordinates of that compound where you found the little one. I want to know who put him there and hired a battalion of mercs to protect him.”

Din Djarin put the objects in his bag. “What about Moff Gideon?”

“I know of him; he is tenacious. He would also not be the first Imperial who goes after Force sensitive children. But from what you have told me, they had something really sinister in mind. I need to find out more about their operation. Maybe I can find that scientist you told me about. I would also like to know, where Gideon gets his money from; for a former Imperial who should be on the run he seems to be terribly well funded and organised.”

“Speaking of money… “ he hesitated. “How much do I owe you for your services?”

Ada laughed. “You don’t owe me a thing.” Perhaps she sensed his discomfort, because she added. “If you really don’t want to feel indebted to me, you can owe me a favour. I frequently have need for someone in your line of work.”

“This is acceptable” he nodded formally.

“I’m glad this is sorted.” She smiled. “Now for the really important question. When is the last time you two had a proper meal?”


	2. Chapter 2

It had taken some convincing from her side, but now the Mandalorian and the Child were settled in the guest room and hopefully asleep. 

Ada took a mug of tarine tea into her small office and went to work.

First she sent a message on a Fulcrum encoded frequency. It would probably take a while to get a response, so she started sending messages to various contacts throughout the galaxy. She made sure to spread her requests carefully and add some unrelated queries in between. The last thing they needed was to alert the Imperial Remnant, that someone was asking questions.

Ada was well aware, that some of these questions might still have the effect of stabbing a nest of Bizikian hornets. She took a sip of tea and looked around wistfully. This was the first real home she had, since she left the Jedi Temple. The first time she had actually owned things. Ada really hoped this place would still be here and undisturbed when she came back.   
But it couldn’t be helped. They would have to get the more valuable items to the vault, lock this place down and hope for the best.

Moff Gideon. Of course she had heard of him. Former Imperial Security. Absolutely ruthless. Gideon had been instrumental in crushing the Mandalorian Resistance. He had also been a massive pain in the arse to the Fulcrum network. Ada was not surprised, he was still going strong and had what sounded like an entire battalion of Stormtroopers at his disposal. He was the kind of nasty guy, who always fell back unto his feet.   
Until you cut them off.

She would like to get her hands on his information network though. From what Din Djarin had told her, he seemed to be awfully well informed. Apart from being well connected, he probably also had access to what was left of the Imperial Security database. Now that was a prize worth a lot of risks, if she could locate it. 

Running would take them only so far; the only way to get rid of Gideon would be to take the fight to him; but in order to do that, they would need to mobilise a lot of allies. The New Republic could be not much help, they were stretched enough as it was. Nonetheless, she would have to travel to Coruscant and talk to some old friends.

The discreet beep of the holocomm interrupted her thoughts. Ada took the call and the display changed from the Fulcrum symbol to the familiar face of a Togruta woman.   
“Thank you for calling me back so soon!”

“I take it, this is not a social call?” the Togruta replied somewhat bluntly. Ada smiled. She had known Ahsoka Tano almost her entire life and her friend always had the habit of getting directly to the point. It had earned her the nickname ‘Snips’ from her Master. But that was a long time ago.

Ada shook her head. “No, we have a bit of a situation here. Imperial Remnants trying to get their hands on Force sensitive children. Again.”

Ahsoka hissed an expletive under her breath. “I guess if you call me, it’s not something your usual mercenary contacts can handle?” 

“No, this one is a bit more complex. Ahsoka… did you ever find out where Master Yoda came from? Or what his species is called? Because this child, he is one of them.  
And if that’s not enough” Ada hesitated for a second, “I haven’t met anyone as strong in the Force since your former Master.”

She waited for a response, but when Ahsoka stayed silent, she continued. 

“The child is fifty years old but barely a toddler and an Imperial Moff is after him. He currently is with a Mandalorian bounty hunter, who has adopted him as a foundling, but this child needs protection and guidance from someone experienced in the Force, otherwise it could end very badly.” 

There was a long pause, until Ahsoka spoke. “What about.. Skywalker?”

Ada had noticed the moment of hesitation, like being careful not to put weight on a hurt limb. She was not surprised the name alone was still painful for Ahsoka, after all these years.   
She shook her head.  
“Ahsoka, you know what I think about him. He’s barely more than a Padawan himself. He overestimates his powers.”

“Master Yoda trained him.” Ahsoka’s voice had that little defiant undertone, that she knew so well. “He thought Skywalker was ready.”

“Master Yoda trusted him not enough to inform him, that there were still other Jedi out in the galaxy! And I seriously doubt it was Master Yoda’s idea, that Luke Skywalker should run off to confront Darth Vader. Even if it ended well.”

“It is very much what Anakin himself would have done.” Ahsoka said pensively. 

“You’re right. And that is exactly why I do not trust him. No offence, but this part of the family resemblance is not a recommendation.  
No, Ahsoka, the young Skywalker may have his heart in the right place, but I still wouldn’t entrust this child to him. And I thought you of all people would agree that trying to rebuild the Order is not a good idea.” 

“What about the others?” 

Ada sighed. “Most are dead or cut themselves off from the Force. You never found Ezra Bridger. Cal Kestis is off the grid, the same goes for Cere Junda. I’m fairly sure they’re still alive, but it would take time to find them, if they are in fact still travelling together. I could try to locate his friend Merrin if that helps? As for Quinlan Vos, I wouldn’t let him look after my pet rancor, let alone a small child. And I can’t take care of a youngling and go on a reconnaissance mission at the same time. I need your help!”

“Ok, ok, I get it, I’m the only trustworthy and available person here.” Ahsoka sighed. “Fine, I’ll do it. Send me the coordinates. I can at least have a look at this mysterious child. You said it’s been adopted by a Mandalorian?”

“Yes the child was his bounty in fact, the Remnant paid him to retrieve it. Then he had second thoughts and went back for it. Saved its life. That caused a bit of trouble with the Bounty Hunter’s Guild of course.”

“He must be good, if he’s still alive.” Ahsoka stated.

“Very good. Capable. Not so good at accepting help, but I think he’s getting there. From what I could find out, he’s part of a small tribe of former Deathwatch, who went underground after the purge. Quite literally. They’re a very strict bunch. Never take their helmets off in front of another person, all honour and rules and ‘It is The Way’. Bit stiff and formal. Not unlike Jedi, come to think of it.”

“He sounds delightful.” Ahsoka smiled, for the first time today. “Just make sure he knows who is looking for him. I don’t want to make that acquaintance by having to battle him first.”

“No worries, he’ll know.” Ada smiled. “And Ahsoka… thank you!”

The holocomm went dark. Ada turned around with her chair, made a little gesture with her hand and the door slid open.

The beskar helmet was impassive as ever, but Ada could feel the little wave of embarrassment as Din Djarin found himself caught red handed.  
“I’ll have you know that trying to creep up on a Jedi is usually a really bad idea.” Ada grinned. “I could feel you sneaking around from the moment you got out of bed.”

He folded his arms. “Stiff and formal?” He was amused. The little tilt of his head and his voice gave him away.

“It is The Way.” Ada grinned.


	3. Chapter 3

Ahsoka was meditating.  
Once again it gave her calm and focus, a way to reflect and feel herself within the Force. It had not always been like this.

In the time after the fall of the Republic, while she was hiding from the Empire, Ahsoka had not dared to use the Force, fearing it gave her away. She had tried to meditate a few times, but it felt entirely wrong. Where once was a constant backdrop of other Jedi, shining within the Force like bright stars against the black velvet of the sky, was now nothing but a cold, empty void.

She had never felt so alone as in these days. Running for her life. Grieving for everyone she lost. Everyone she ever felt close to, all her friends - gone. Snuffed out in one fell swoop or taken over by the Empire.  
All gone.  
Master Kenobi.  
Anakin…

The memory still hurt, after all these years, like an old battle wound that had scarred over. Ahsoka took a deep breath and, like her training had taught her, accepted the pain, let it pass through her and flow away. Other thoughts and memories came to the surface and she let them pass by as well, as they lighted her way like beacons.

_A dark room within the Jedi temple. Light filtering through the high windows illuminating rows of small beds. Muffled sobs coming from a bed in the corner.  
Naked feet padding across.  
“Why are you crying?” A little girl’s voice.  
“I’m not crying.” Her voice unconvincingly thick with tears. “Go away.”  
The little girl stubbornly stayed where she was. “Do you not want to be a Jedi?”  
“I want to be a Jedi! But… but… “ she managed to get out before the reality of being far from home, surrounded by strangers came crashing back in a flood of tears.  
“You know, if I felt scared and alone, my Mummy would hold me and then it got better.” the little girl said pensively. “Do you think that would help if I hold you?”  
She could not speak, just nod. The little girl climbed onto the bed and wrapped her arms around her.   
“I’m Ada.”  
“Ahsoka”  
Two little girls clinging to each other in the dark, to give each other strength in this strange place. _

Other memories came back to her. Their Gathering on Ilum, where Ada got so distracted in the ice caves she almost got lost and it was Ahsoka who got her friend back to the entrance in time.

The day Ahsoka had been accepted as Anakin Skywalker’s Padawan and had to tell her friend right away. How she had found Ada in the library with Master Jocasta Nu and she had almost pitied her. While she herself was heading for the excitement of the front lines, her friend spent almost all her time learning.   
Clever, reliable, bookish and slightly boring Ada.

They did not see much of each other during the remainder of the war. While Ahsoka became a war hero who faced dangers like Count Dooku and General Grievous, Ada became Padawan of Jedi historian Jaden Kasan and spent almost all her time off-world on some historical research project or other.

After the fall of the Republic, it was Ada, who found her via Bail Organa and Ahsoka brought her into the Fulcrum network. Surprisingly, Ada took to spy work like a Mon Calamari to water. 

Of course not much later Ahsoka found out why. During the war, most independent planets would be reluctant, to allow a Jedi Commander and their Clone Troopers on their soil, but hardly anyone objected to a single Jedi historian and their Padawan, who were just studying ancient ruins or historical documents. And no one paid close attention to a boring bookworm.  
Clever Ada.

Ahsoka smiled to herself, as she let the thoughts go. It was time to focus and go deeper.   
She reached out and felt the Force take shape around her. The room she was sitting in. The people on the street. Further away, the jungle, teeming with life. Deeper she went, let the Force guide her. 

Halfway across the galaxy, the familiar presence of her friend, like a warm light. And right next to it, another, so bright and clear; this must be the child. She reached out very gently to feel that little shape in the Force - and suddenly it lit up like a flare. Her mind was flooded with images. A frog, hopping. Running and laughing children. A shining silver ball. A little green face reflected in a steel helmet. A giggle. The image of a lightsaber, that she recognised to be Ada’s.

Ahsoka tore herself away from the vision with some effort. Slowly she let her breath find back to its natural rhythm, giving herself time to arrive back in physical reality, before she opened her eyes.  
That had been unexpected!  
Ada had been right, she needed to meet this child.


	4. Chapter 4

“How many times do I have to tell you, these crates are for books, not for little children?” Ada rolled her eyes theatrically, while she plucked the giggling child out of the open box. As soon as she set him down on the floor, he turned around and made a beeline back to the crate.  
“Seems like he has a new favourite game.” Din Djarin said from his seat behind the semitransparent shield screen, where he was finishing his breakfast. His voice was a pleasant baritone, when it wasn’t distorted through the helmet.

The screen was Ada’s idea; it also had a voice scrambler and was the reason why none of her clients knew what she looked or sounded like. At least none that were still alive, she had added. Din Djarin was not sure if it was a joke. He had been sceptical about the screen at first, but now he had to admit it was nice not to be confined to another room at meal times. It was also nice to get food that wasn’t ration packs for a change. 

Ada had spent the morning packing and frequently getting the Child out of boxes, making sure he didn’t run off with any artefacts or books or got underfoot when TC-22 carried one of the crates to the speeder. Now she deftly tucked the wriggling Child under her arm and slammed the lid on the crate with her other hand.   
“Ok, that’s the last one. When TC-22 comes back from taking these to the vault, he can give you a lift to the spaceport. Have you decided where you’re going?”

“I was thinking Dantooine” he replied. One of the few worlds on the list she had given him, where a toddler was not in danger of freezing to death, getting heatstroke, falling into lava or being eaten by predators. The Rebel Alliance sure had hung out in nice places.

“Good choice! The exact coordinates are on the datacard. If you need to talk to us via transmitter, use the code name.” She grinned. “You know, when I grew up we had a cautionary tale. One of the historians was particularly scatterbrained, but also considered himself a bit above using an astromech. He could read star charts, right? So he was sent to Dantooine, but because he never really paid attention, he ended up on Dathomir. Apparently his visit was very… interesting. If a bit short.”

“I’ve only heard stories of Dathomir. Wild tales of witches and savages. I always thought they were just that - tales.”

Ada shook her head. “No, all true and probably not even exaggerated. The Nightsisters of Dathomir were able to bend the Force to their will with rituals they called Magick. Many regarded them as evil, but I always found them incredibly fascinating. My own ship, the _Banshee_ , was once owned by one of the Nightsisters. But today, there is only one of them left, that I know of.” 

“What happened?”

“The Empire happened. The Nightsisters were eradicated in a single attack, their male equivalent the Nightbrothers decimated in the following decades. An entire culture wiped out. Like the Jedi. Like Alderaan. Like the Mandalorians.” She tried to keep her voice calm and controlled, but he could hear the anger underneath.  
“That’s why we need to put an end to Moff Gideon and his ilk. Almost three decades of random genocide and oppression have finally come to an end and even now the Imperials still think they can take anything they want? Not on my watch!”

She looked down. The Child was hugging her leg, looking up at her with his ears drooping, which gave him a distinctly worried impression. Ada gently lifted him up and gave him a hug.  
“No worries, little one. We will make this right, I promise.”

“We should be on our way.” Din Djarin got up from behind the screen, his helmet once again in place. Ada, balancing the child on her hip, folded up the screen projector with one hand into a small package and handed it to him. “Here, you can keep this. It’s a spare and it might be more use to you, than sitting here.”

“I’m not sure I can ever repay you for all you’re doing.” By now he knew, arguing would be useless, so he just took the package and tucked it in his bag.

“I told you, you don’t have to repay me. This is what friends are for.”

“So we’re friends now?” Again, the small tilt of the helmet that signalled amusement. “Do I get a say in the matter?”

“Only nominally.” Ada smiled. “You might as well accept it.”

She tried to hand the Child over to him, which wasn’t made easier by the little one clinging to her like a vine. She gently pried the little hands loose, handed him over despite protest and gave his ears one last little stroke.

“I get the impression, this little one needs more hugs. You’re not a very huggable person, with all that Beskar steel.”

Din Djarin shrugged. “It is The Way.”

Ada looked after them, as they left for the spaceport. She sighed and went to scrub her computers before she and TC-22 would take the _Banshee_ to Nevarro.


	5. Chapter 5

Dantooine. Endless dusty flat land, a handful of farms and not much else. Out here in the Badlands, there was no living soul around you for kilometres and unless they dropped out of the sky right on top of you, you would see any visitors coming long before they arrived. Which was probably the reason the Rebel Alliance built a base here, back in the day.

In keeping with the terrain, the rebels had burrowed underground, establishing a vast compound in natural ravines and dug trenches. There had been room for several hundred troops, starfighters, equipment - but now, much of it had collapsed or deteriorated. The Empire had checked this place at some point, when Leia Organa - an Alderaanian noble with the Rebellion? he wondered - gave up the location of the abandoned base to save her home planet from destruction. Not that it had worked.  
He had learned that from the logs about the Rebellion he had found inside the crates of rations and equipment that had been delivered to the Crest. ‘A bit of light reading.’ said a note.

And he did in fact start reading, after the first couple of days when he had finished building a comfortable hideout for himself and the little one in one of the abandoned buildings. He managed to get one of the generators running, they had water too and the crates contained not just reading material but also enough food to last them months if necessary. 

“Lay low! No contact with locals or anyone else unless absolutely necessary!” Ada had said. “And no radio contact on unencrypted frequencies!”

She did not say it, not explicitly, but she did not need to. It had been a stupid mistake. A mistake that cost his friend Kuiil his life. The old Ugnaught had been a brave man and had deserved better than being gunned down by Stormtroopers. 

Din Djarin had often cursed his own stupidity since. He was a hunter; being prey was new to him, but that was no excuse. Dwelling on past mistakes wouldn’t help though. He would have to do better. For himself and more importantly, the Child. The least he could do was to keep on speaking Kuiil’s name in remembrance, every day of his life.  
“I'm still alive, but you are dead. I remember you, so you are eternal.”  
It was The Way.

Meanwhile, Din Djarin was fighting new battles each day nothing could have had him prepared for. Today, the little one had discovered an exciting new game, where he levitated the lid off food crates, then climbed inside and stuffed himself. People often mentioned that small children were exhausting, but they probably never dealt with one that could just move things with their mind. He spent the day finding empty weapons crates that still had working locks, then moved all the food in there.  
The Child dragged a blanket into one of the now empty food crates, built himself a nest and sulked for the next few hours. He was a remarkably quiet and content little fella usually; and Din Djarin was grateful for that. He preferred not to imagine, what a tantrum would look like with a toddler who could lift mudhorns.

The first couple of days had been busy, but then their life settled into some sort of quiet routine. When he was not busy preventing the usual mayhem a small person can cause, he spent hours on weapons maintenance or small repairs of his armour. It gave him calm and focus, something he had missed during their mad flight around the galaxy in the past months.

He had also cobbled together a _birikad_ , a kind of traditional Mandalorian baby carrying harness, for the Child and they went for long walks away from the compound to set up perimeter sensors and to hunt for something they could turn into dinner.

It was on one of these walks, a bit more than a week after their arrival, when he noticed the column of yellow dust coming their way.

Din Djarin felt the skin on his neck prickle with alarm. Crouching low, he looked around until he found a vantage point between some rocks and a small tree nearby. Carefully he sat the little one down behind a boulder, took his rifle off and crouching behind the rocks, peered through the scope.  
It was a speeder, just as he had expected. The rider was cloaked in grey and unrecognisable. It could be the friend Ada had sent their way. Or it could be a bounty hunter looking for them. They were at least half an hour on foot from the Razor Crest, so if things went bad, they would be stuck here without a quick escape route. It looked like the rider was alone, but that might be a trap.

While he was still considering his options, two things happened at the same time.  
He noticed from the corner of his eye, that the Child had stood up and peered intently in the direction of the speeder.  
And almost at the same moment, the rider swung the speeder around and came directly at them.  
Damn!

He had them in his sights. He could take the shot. Or he could wait and see.  
No more stupid mistakes, remember?  
In this moment, a little hand touched his shoulder. He sighed and lowered the rifle. “You’re right buddy, we will see who that is. We can still blow them up later.”

When the rider arrived only moments later, they seemed well aware of the tension. Stopping at a respectful distance, the grey cloaked figure dismounted slowly and carefully and held their hands where he could see them. Then, with the same slow, careful movements, the rider took the hood off and slid the goggles up. To his relief he saw, it was indeed a Togruta woman and he allowed himself to relax a little and take the hand off his blaster, while he studied her.

Ada had said they were about the same age, but this woman appeared slightly younger. White lekku and montrals with markings in a deep indigo blue framed a face mostly covered in yellow Dantooine dust, except for where the skin around her eyes had been protected by her goggles. Her skin was a lively orange colour to which her large blue eyes were a startling contrast. She was of slight build, smaller than himself, but he recognised the way she stood, poised, but alert, how she slightly shifted her weight, ready to spring into action any second. A warrior’s stance.

“Hello. I am Ahsoka Tano.” 

Not unfriendly, but not smiling either. He was used to people looking at him and since they could not see his eyes through the helmet, nervously trying to find some other point of reference. Not so this woman; she calmly looked straight at him, eyes unwavering; and for a very uncomfortable moment, he felt as if she saw right through his helmet at his naked face.

The Child broke the tension. With an enthusiastic shriek and at the fastest speed his little legs could manage, he threw himself at Ahsoka Tano and hugged her shin. She gave a startled little laugh, then looking at the kid clinging to her, her face broke into a wide smile. Din Djarin felt himself chuckle involuntarily. Clearly the matter was out of his hands now. He finally found his words again.

“Welcome. Ada said we should expect you. We can show you the way to the compound?”


	6. Chapter 6

“What can I get you?” the droid behind the bar said in a tone of well programmed fake cheerfulness. Ada scanned the surprisingly well stocked bar for a moment. “Corellian Lager, thanks!”  
The drink arrived quickly and she leant against the bar to observe the room. The cantina still showed clear signs of the recent scrap with the Imperial Remnant, blaster scorch marks across the walls, makeshift repairs where the windows and part of the walls had been blown up by artillery - but obviously that didn’t keep away the clientele. This was the official headquarters of the Bounty Hunter’s Guild in this sector and the place was rougher than a strill’s backside. 

She had just identified the man who must be Greef Karga, according to Din Djarin’s description, when a heavy hand landed on her shoulder.  
“I like your hat!” a rough voice hissed in Trandoshan. The owner of the voice was a particularly ugly specimen of his species, with one eye missing, replaced by an implant. The other eye stared down at her aggressively. He was pointing at the broad brimmed hat that was part of her bounty hunter disguise, together with a leather duster.  
“Thanks! I won it at Pazaak a few years back.”  
She tried to turn away, but the Trandoshan was having none of it. “I don’t like you!”  
Ada turned around to face him, making sure her back was towards the room.  
“That’s too bad!” She smiled in a friendly way, then made a little gesture with her hand. “In that case, you don’t want to waste your time with me. You rather go and join your friends at the other end of the bar.”  
The Trandoshan blinked. “I don’t want to waste my time here. I’ll go and join my friends at the bar.” He shook his head, confused, then trotted off.  
Ada exhaled. Lovely place this.

She had just turned back to her beer, when another person leaned against the bar next to her.  
“Sorry about Lyskk. He loves to pick fights with newcomers, but it seems you handled him well.” The speaker was a tall woman with broad shoulders. A tattoo on her arm identified her as former shock trooper. The kind of person you were careful not to get on the wrong side of, if you had any sense. “You’re not one of the regulars.”

Ada shrugged. “No, I’m not. I was hoping to speak to the boss.” She nodded in the direction of Karga.  
“So?” the other woman raised her eyebrows. “What makes you think I can help you with that?”  
“Because you’re Cara Dune and you work for him.” Ada said friendly. “And because I am an agent of the Librarian and I think your boss might want to be on good terms with my boss.” 

Cara Dune inhaled sharply, then looked her up and down. “Well, I am not his errand girl, but I am going to ask.”  
Ada watched her go over to Karga. They stuck their heads together for a moment, then, unsurprisingly, beckoned her over. She took her beer and went over to sit down opposite Greef Karga. Dune stayed as well, not sitting down, just looming over her.

“Welcome to Nevarro.” Greef Karga smiled, a businesslike smile that did not reach his eyes. “What can I do for you?”

Ada studied him for a moment before she answered. Karga was somewhere in his fifties, she knew, former magistrate turned head of the Bounty Hunter’s Guild. Human, dark skin, his beard and hair already turning into a lively salt and pepper colour in places. He had that sort of aura, that people in power often have. She was not surprised; he had to be good if he could keep this lot in check.

“My name is Jez Cell. As I already mentioned to your associate, I work for the Librarian. On behalf of a mutual friend, we are investigating the person responsible for your recent interior decoration.” Ada made a gesture indicating the scorch marks on the walls. 

“And what mutual friend would that be?” Greef Karga’s voice was a low growl. He leaned forward, fixing her with a reptilian gaze.

“I think you know who. Turned the entire place upside down lately. The one who told me you’re only still alive because you had a bar of Beskar steel in your pocket when he shot you.” Ada smiled and drew a breath. “I would be much obliged if you could put your blaster under the table away now, so we can talk business.”

His eyes went wide and Ada could feel Cara Dune next to her going tense. For a second there seemed to be complete silence - and then suddenly Greef Karga erupted into a booming laugh.

“I think I like this one!” He waved at the droid behind the bar for another round, then turned back to Ada. “Right. So what is it you want and what’s in it for us?”

“I was at the coordinates where Moff Gideon’s TIE fighter went down. I found the crash site, but no wreck. I’ve been told, you had it recovered from site; I would need to examine it. I might also have additional questions regarding the incident.”  
Greef Karga nodded. “Go on.”

“As for payment - you currently have a rather high bounty on a former member of the banking clan, that has been eluding your hunters for months. The Librarian will forward you data leading to the location of this individual. Depending on the satisfying conclusion of our business here, they may also be inclined, to use the services of your guild in further transactions, which could be very lucrative.” Ada took a sip of her beer. “How does that sound?”

***

The wreck of the TIE fighter was in a secure hangar in another part of town. “We had it brought here before the Jawas could make off with too many parts.” Cara Dune said. She had offered to ‘show her around’. Making sure she didn’t see or touch anything she wasn’t supposed to, more like.  
“As you see, Gideon must have made it out alive. Seems he cut his way out of the wreck with a laser torch or something. He also fried the nav computer with it.”

Ada looked at the molten metal and scorch marks around the opening and felt her skin go cold. That had not been a laser torch! She needed to look at this more closely, but not with Dune breathing down her neck. Ada closed her eyes and focused for a moment.  
There was a sound near the door of the hangar as if something fell to the ground.  
Cara Dune was alert in an instant. “I’ll go have a look what that was. You can stay here.”

As soon as she had turned her back, Ada focused and reached out with the Force. A lightsaber might have left an echo. She could only hope. She braced herself and slowly put her hand on the cut on the TIE fighter.

Images flooded her mind and she pulled her hand back as if she had burned herself. No! How was that possible?  
This was bad. Very bad.

“Hey, are you alright? You look like you’ve seen a ghost!” Cara Dune was back.  
“Sort of. It just reminded me of something… from the war. Never mind.” Ada pointed at the inside of the cockpit. “The nav computer is fried, but have you checked if the fuel logs are still intact?”  
“The fuel logs…?” Cara Dune looked confused for a second, then her face lit up. “Wow, you’re a clever one!”

Together they freed the unit from the cockpit. “I can have my droid on the ship look at it.” Ada suggested. “He’s good at stuff like that.”  
“Sure.” Dune said lightly. “Mind if I come with?”  
Ada smiled inwardly. She began to like Cara Dune! She wouldn’t trust herself either. “No problem,” she shrugged. “I’ll just send him a quick message, he’s a bit fussy.”

She stepped away from the TIE fighter until she was sure to be out of earshot and called Teecee on her holo. “We’ve recovered the fuel logs from the TIE fighter, I’m coming to the ship for analysis. I’m bringing a guest.” She threw a glance in Cara Dune’s direction; the former shock trooper was still rummaging around the wreck. “How are we for trackers?” she said quietly.  
“Two so far, one installed by the refuelling droid, the other one by a Rodian who was checking the engines.” Teecee informed her.  
“Good. Leave them for now, we will deal with that later. We’ll be over shortly.”


End file.
